Best Hidden Gems in Somerset
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best hidden gems in Somerset are Dundas Aqueduct, Burton Pynsent Monument, Ashton Windmill, Brean Down Fort, Wimbleball Dam, Tarr Steps, Wellington Monument and Stanton Drew Circles and Cove.
Somerset stretches from the Bristol Channel coast across the flat, watery Levels to the moorland heights of Exmoor and the Blackdown and Mendip hills, and it hides an astonishing variety of places for anyone willing to look beyond the well-known honeypots. This is a county of grand engineering and quiet monuments, of prehistoric stones and Victorian forts, where the best rewards often lie down a lane or at the end of a walk.
You might cross the graceful Dundas Aqueduct where the canal rides over the River Avon, climb to Brean Down Fort at the tip of a limestone finger reaching into the sea, or wander the ancient clapper bridge at Tarr Steps on Exmoor. There are lone monuments rising above the Levels at Burton Pynsent and on the Blackdown ridge at Wellington, the last working windmill in the county at Ashton, a great reservoir on Exmoor at Wimbleball, and one of Britain's largest stone circles at Stanton Drew.
Each rewards a little effort with a real sense of discovery. Here are eight of the best hidden gems to seek out in Somerset.
Dundas Aqueduct
Photo: Mark Percy via Geograph.org.uk
Dundas Aqueduct carries the Kennet and Avon Canal over the River Avon in a grand curve of Bath stone, set in the wooded valley near Limpley Stoke between Bath and Bradford-on-Avon. Built by the engineer John Rennie around 1800, it spans the river on three arches, the wide central one flanked by two smaller ones, dressed with balustrades and classical detailing.
Narrowboats still cross it on the canal above, making it one of the finest structures on the whole waterway. Seek it out on a slow walk along the canal towpath, where the narrowboats still glide over the river below.
Burton Pynsent Monument
Photo: Roger Cornfoot via Geograph.org.uk
Burton Pynsent Monument is a tall stone column standing alone in the fields above the Somerset Levels, near Curry Rivel. Rising some hundred and forty feet, a slender Doric column on a square base topped by a domed cupola and a stone urn, it is a landmark for miles across the flat, watery country below.
It was put up in the seventeen-sixties by William Pitt the Elder in memory of Sir William Pynsent, a squire who left him his whole estate, and has been attributed to Capability Brown. It stands on private farmland but can be seen from the lanes and paths around, so seek it out for wide green views over the Levels.
Ashton Windmill
Photo: Neil Owen via Geograph.org.uk
Ashton Windmill stands on a low rise in the flat country between Cheddar and the Somerset Levels, a squat, round stone tower topped by a white timber cap and four sails. It is the last windmill in Somerset to keep a full set of working machinery inside, so behind the thick stone walls the gears, shafts and millstones are still in place.
The cap turns to bring the sails into the wind, helped by a small fantail at the back. Built in the eighteenth century, it ground corn until 1927, when cheaper mills put it out of work.
Seek it out for long views over the Levels and a rare glimpse of a mill still complete inside.
Brean Down Fort
Photo: Neil Owen via Geograph.org.uk
Brean Down Fort stands at the far seaward tip of Brean Down, a long finger of limestone reaching into the Bristol Channel south of Weston-super-Mare. This Victorian coastal fort was built in the eighteen-sixties against a feared French invasion, with barracks, gun positions and a powder magazine behind a ditch across the headland's neck.
To reach it you walk the length of the down and along the ridge, with the sea on both sides and huge views to Wales. Around 1900 an explosion in its magazine wrecked the fort, later rearmed in the Second World War.
Now cared for by the National Trust, it is an atmospheric ruin worth seeking out.
Wimbleball Dam
Photo: Adrian Boliston via Geograph.org.uk
Wimbleball Dam holds back Wimbleball Lake, a reservoir in the hills of eastern Exmoor made by damming the River Haddeo. The concrete dam stands about fifty metres high and three hundred metres long, with a walk across its crest, and the lake behind covers around 370 acres.
South West Water owns it, while the South West Lakes Trust runs the recreation, from sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding to fly-fishing for trout, walking, cycling and camping. There is an activity centre with a cafe and car park, and the dark skies here make it a recognised stargazing spot.
Seek it out for a crest-top stroll and some of Exmoor's best views over the water.
Tarr Steps
Photo: norman griffin via Geograph.org.uk
Tarr Steps is an ancient clapper bridge crossing the River Barle in a wooded valley on Exmoor, the longest bridge of its kind in Britain. Great flat slabs of stone, each weighing a ton or more, are laid across low stone piers to make a flat causeway some fifty-five metres long, with no mortar holding it together.
Its age is uncertain, most likely medieval, and it has been swept away and rebuilt many times after floods, its stones numbered so they can be put back in place. It is reached on a short walk from a car park nearby, with riverside paths and a nature reserve around it to explore when you seek it out.
Wellington Monument
Photo: Noel Jenkins via Geograph.org.uk
Wellington Monument is a tall three-sided stone obelisk on the ridge of the Blackdown Hills, a couple of miles south of the town of Wellington. It commemorates the Duke of Wellington and his victory at Waterloo, and its three sides are said to echo the shape of a bayonet.
Building began in 1817 but dragged on until 1854, and it is reckoned to be the tallest three-sided obelisk in the world. The National Trust owns it, and after years closed for safety it reopened in 2021 following major repairs, with a staircase inside opened for occasional tours.
Seek it out for the long ridge-top views and the sight of this unusual landmark.
Stanton Drew Circles and Cove
Photo: D M Wilmot via Geograph.org.uk
Stanton Drew Circles and Cove is one of the largest prehistoric stone complexes in Britain, in a field beside a village near Bristol. It has three stone circles, the Great Circle among the biggest in the country at over a hundred metres across, along with a separate group of three stones called the Cove, which stands in a pub garden by the church.
Many of the stones now lie fallen. Surveys have shown the Great Circle once sat within a huge ditched enclosure, now long gone.
Raised in the late Neolithic or Bronze Age, the circles are a free English Heritage site reached across a farm, so seek them out and wander among the stones.
FAQs
What is the best time to visit Somerset's hidden gems?
The warmer, drier months from spring to autumn suit the outdoor sites best, when moorland walks to Tarr Steps and Brean Down are at their most enjoyable. Longer daylight also helps if you want to climb a monument or linger by Wimbleball Lake.
Are these Somerset hidden gems free to visit?
Many are free to enjoy, including Stanton Drew's stone circles and the views around Burton Pynsent Monument and the Dundas Aqueduct. Others, such as sites with towers or working interiors, keep set opening days, so it is worth checking before you travel.
How do you reach Brean Down Fort?
Brean Down Fort sits at the far tip of Brean Down, reached on foot by walking the length of the headland, up steep steps and along the ridge. Allow time and wear sturdy footwear, as the sea lies on both sides.
Conclusion
From the grand curve of the Dundas Aqueduct to the windswept ruin of Brean Down Fort, Somerset rewards anyone who strays a little from the well-known routes. These eight places range across the whole county, taking in lone monuments above the Levels, the last working windmill at Ashton, the ancient clapper bridge at Tarr Steps, a great reservoir on Exmoor and one of Britain's largest stone circles at Stanton Drew.
Some are free and easily reached, while others ask for a walk up a steep headland or along a river, and a few keep set opening days for their towers and interiors. Wherever you begin, each offers a real sense of discovery and a story worth carrying home.
Pack good footwear, check opening days and access before you go, and remember these are the best hidden gems to seek out in Somerset.
